When I posted this last Wednesday, I had no idea how fitting it would be in light of the shootings in MN, TX, and LA.
I truly wish it wasn’t.
Slim Randles, my frequent Wednesday’s Guest, is a man of humor and wisdom, and today he shares a touching essay on how the Fourth of July can be so special. For those of us with a patriotic streak a mile wide, Independence Day is a top holiday, and I always think of how it draws us together as a country. Unified. One people of many colors, and one country united in freedom.
Slim shares my sentiment.
On this hot, hot, hot, Texas day, a bite of watermelon can be so refreshing. Have a slice on me and read on.
The annual Fourth of July picnic was a celebration of time and freedom. We’d all watched the parade, earlier, because that’s what you do on the Fourth, and we believe in it.
Our parade features Scout troops in uniform, the high school band, floats with pretty girls … well, okay, it’s actually Delbert’s convertible with signs on the doors … and little kids proudly leading their dogs down our main street. In other words, pretty much everyone.
Those of us who aren’t marching have been known to say things like, “Hon, isn’t that the Delgado kid with that German shepherd? My, he’s grown.”
You know.
And then we go to the picnic and gorge ourselves and play softball and horseshoes and soak up the sun and laugh a lot. It’s a time for asking mere acquaintances from grocery store sightings just how they’re doing, in hopes of becoming real friends. It’s time to catch up on friends who have been solid bricks in our wall of life forever. It’s also a time to rejoice and see new bundles of babies that have joined us since last year, and feel a bit sad at those who have left us, too.
It’s a time when two guys on opposite sides, politically, can just smile and talk sports and enjoy each other. There’s time enough to disagree on policies later on. No rush.
And we know, deep inside, that this is the real reason we celebrate our Independence Day. Because we can set aside our differences and have fun together. We can be free to have fun together because a long time ago some men in powdered wigs were smart enough to look ahead toward … well, toward this very picnic of ours, actually.
They wanted it to be fun, too.
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The Home Country radio show will be coming soon to a radio station near you! New, from Syndication Networks.
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| Slim Randles writes a nationally syndicated column, Home Country and is the author of a number of books including Saddle Up: A Cowboy Guide to Writing. That title, and others, are published by LPD Press. His columns have been compiled into the book Home Country. |
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